Writing Letters of Recommendation

As a clinical educator, you may be asked by students to write letters of recommendation. You may ask the clerkship coordinator for the assessment you completed on the student when the student rotated with you. Your assessment will help your letter be more accurate!

You will want to ask the student for:

The student’s personal statement.

This should include why the student is choosing his/her specialty and how the student is going to contribute to their residency program and to medicine.

You may want to encourage the student to ask the FIU Center for Excellence in Writing to review and give feedback on the personal statement before giving it to you

You may want to ask the student to spellcheck the personal statement before giving it to you.

The student’s CV

The date that the letter is due as well as the how the letter should be submitted.

A cover letter to you which includes:

The highlights of your interactions together and how those highlights demonstrate that the student will be outstanding in their specialty or as future physicians/colleagues.

The student’s strengths and how those strengths will contribute to their being outstanding in their specialty or as future physicians/colleagues.

The student’s weaknesses and how they are working on those weaknesses.

How has the student demonstrated commitment to their field?

Any honors or awards the student has received

ERAS Letter of Recommendation (LoR) Request

Check to see if the student has waived her/his right to view your letter of recommendation. If the student has waived her/his right, it will look like this near the bottom of the first page: “This applicant has indicated that they WAIVE their right to view this letter now and in the future under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).”

This document also includes the ERAS Letter ID that facilitates submitting your letter.